Life in the wilderness: Homes at the ends of the earth

Wilderness homes far from civilisation

Sometimes the fast pace of modern life can make you want to retreat far away from civilisation, with nothing but a warm fire and Mother Nature for company. From a handmade yurt nestled deep in the Canadian wilderness to a solitary house teetering on a towering stone pillar, these extreme dwellings make do with only the bare necessities. Click or scroll on to meet the fascinating people who call the world's most remote locations home...

Prices are in CAD, US dollars and British pounds

Off-grid yurt, British Columbia, Canada

In 2018, couple Jake and Nicole decided to leave the city behind and live off-grid in their own yurt. In January 2019, they headed to Cottage Grove in Oregon, USA, to pick out their new home. They then transported it in boxes back to British Columbia, where they own a pretty plot in the heart of the Canadian wilderness. Working on the yurt's construction together, the couple lived in a small camper van on the site until their new home was move-in ready.

Off-grid yurt, British Columbia, Canada

After clearing the site and finding the perfect placement for their off-grid home, Jake and Nicole set about building a frame for it to sit on, using precast concrete blocks and timber. By elevating it off the ground, they aimed to protect the house from moisture ingress. They constructed their yurt one step at a time, deciding on everything from window and door placement to the interior finishes. The couple chose a rustic yet cosy aesthetic, retaining the yurt's exposed timber structure. 

Off-grid yurt, British Columbia, Canada

In order to keep the interior nice and snug all year round, Jake and Nicole installed excellent wall insulation and wood-burning stoves to heat their new home. Inside, the yurt is spacious and inviting, thanks to its high ceiling, crisp colour palette and handmade fixtures. There's a living area, a kitchen, a bedroom loft and an area dedicated to yoga.

Off-grid yurt, British Columbia, Canada

Making the most of their surrounding land, the couple was also keen to grow their own food, enabling them to be self-sufficient. As well as building vegetable beds, they also constructed an outdoor kitchen and pizza oven for whipping up delicious meals and dining alfresco.

Off-grid yurt, British Columbia, Canada

The handy couple also tackled another awesome DIY project, building a wood-fired hot tub for unwinding after a long day – proving that living off-grid doesn't necessarily mean having to do without some of life's luxuries. Jake and Nicole have now been living off-grid for more than three years and share their journey with their YouTube followers.

Gridlessness family home, British Columbia, Canada

Nestled in the north of British Columbia, Jeff and Rose live in this idyllic country home with their five daughters. They built the wooden house themselves for just CAD33,000 ($25,000 / £19k)and were determined to forge a debt-free, nature-filled life for their family. They document their adventures on their YouTube channel, Gridlessness.

Gridlessness family home, British Columbia, Canada

Documentary-makers Exploring Alternatives filmed a video tour around the family’s unique home. The main living space is pared back but rustically cosy. Don’t let the exposed beams deceive you – this house has electricity for a washing machine, toaster and phone chargers just like any other. The difference is that the family efficiently harvest power from solar panels, meaning their emergency generator runs for less than 40 hours a year.

Gridlessness family home, British Columbia, Canada

There is no running water in the dwelling, so rain is collected and stored underground before being brought into the main house in buckets. It is filtered through a ‘Berkey’ filtration system for drinking, or heated on the wood-burner for washing. Jeff and Rose homeschool their daughters, so the table is where the family eat, socialise and also study.

Gridlessness family home, British Columbia, Canada

There are three bedrooms in the house, with a snug double bed for Mum and Dad. This is the room that the eldest two girls share, while their three younger sisters sleep in another similar space. Without plumbing, the family use eco-friendly compost toilets, which they sprinkle with sawdust after use.

Gridlessness family home, British Columbia, Canada

The 40-acre landscape surrounding the property is breathtakingly beautiful and allows ample space for horse riding, hunting and fishing expeditions together. The family also grow their own food and keep bees, so they can have fresh vegetables and honey without a single trip to the supermarket. 

My Little Homestead, rural West, USA

Gary and Shelly live in this remote home with their four children, Bree, Garen, Bryson and Shae. The family began a more natural lifestyle following Shelly’s severe intolerance to certain foods. The family decided to take the next step and farm livestock. While searching for land out in the country, they were inspired to go completely off the grid and built their own sustainable homestead.

My Little Homestead, rural West, USA

The family built the house themselves and continually renovate, using bags of earth to extend and create extra rooms. Despite their secluded lifestyle, the family love the internet and share their building projects on their YouTube channel and website.

My Little Homestead, rural West, USA

The main, open-plan living space includes a dining area where the family can socialise and eat meals together. They cook on an open fire and dry food out in the sun to eat later. Solar energy powers any electrical items, allowing the family to sustain their lifestyle naturally wherever possible.

My Little Homestead, rural West, USA

Despite the homestead's rural, back-to-basics philosophy, there are still some more modern facilities. The family take pride in decorating their home and custom-built the bathroom sink and vanity mirror.

My Little Homestead, rural West, USA

Surrounding the main house are a selection of smaller bedroom huts. As they got older, the children each built their own separate dwelling. The pink house is for the youngest, Shae. She wanted a balcony where she could look at the stars and enough space indoors for her drumkit. More recent projects include Garen and wife Ellie's van conversion.

Sally’s round house, Yukon, Canada

This round little house in the snowy wilderness was built in Yukon Territory, Canada, by Sally Wright. She had dreamed about living in a rustic house in the wilderness for years. Sally made a short film about the construction process to realising those dreams.

Sally’s round house, Yukon, Canada

The property was built from white spruce wood. The building material was only taken from trees that were already dead due to spruce bark beetles. All the trees selected for the project were harvested in a 500-foot radius from where the house sits.

Sally’s round house, Yukon, Canada

Recycled glass bottles within the walls provide both light and decoration. As the property is 37 miles away from civilisation and the electrical grid, the house is powered through solar energy. This process keeps minimal electrics such as LED lights and laptop chargers going.

Sally’s round house, Yukon, Canada

The secluded location of the house is picturesque but it also presents logistical problems. At the time of filming the video, when Sally needed to buy groceries, she had to drive a shared truck to the nearest town which is more than three hours away.

Sally’s round house, Yukon, Canada

The house is heated using the same material it was built from, and chopping wood from dead trees keeps the home cosy and warm in the coldest months. As shown here, water is obtained by drilling down through the ice. Canisters are then filled up and transported back to the house.

Ariel’s tiny house, Wyoming, US

This miniature cabin on wheels belongs to Ariel McGlothin and is nestled way up in the Wyoming mountains. She shared her minimalist off-grid lifestyle in a video tour with filmmakers from Tiny House Expedition.

Ariel’s tiny house, Wyoming, US

The cosy interior layout of the tiny home was cleverly designed to make the most of the small space. The kitchen uses an external propane gas tank for cooking. Due to the home’s size, it can be quickly heated from a wood-burning stove. The rest of the appliances run on electricity generated from solar energy.

Ariel’s tiny house, Wyoming, US

Ariel’s sitting area quickly transforms into a double guest bed – great for accommodating visitors. Storage is plentiful, and in addition to useful shelving tucked into the eaves, there's also extra space beneath the seating area. The dining table can even fold away when it’s not in use.

Ariel’s tiny house, Wyoming, US

When the winter nights roll in, Ariel can climb up the stairs to her snug, loft-style bedroom. The sleeping space is surprisingly spacious and houses a double mattress and further storage cabinets at the foot of her bed.

Ariel’s tiny house, Wyoming, US

Keeping the home running day to day is no easy task. Ariel must continually shovel the snow from around the house to keep vents for things like propane fumes clear. To provide her home with running water, she has to fill up the service tanks from outside her house, where she also has a swing set and barbeque for the slightly warmer months. 

Agafia’s hut, Siberia, Russia

The Lykov family fled persecution in the 1930s and made their home deep in the Sayan mountains. Agafia Lykov was born in this secluded dwelling in Siberia, 160 miles away from the rest of civilisation. 76 years later, she remains here and continues her traditional way of life. She shared her story of living in the wilderness in a documentary for VICE.

Agafia’s hut, Siberia, Russia

Agafia’s home is pared back to the bare necessities, without running water or any modern electronics. Day to day, Agafia looks after livestock, forages for food and goes fishing. To ensure the home's fire is always stocked, she chops wood and heaves it home. And to protect herself from approaching bears she has made a makeshift drum that she beats with a stick to scare them away. Interior furnishings and possessions exist only for necessity. 

Agafia’s hut, Siberia, Russia

Agafia is very religious. The sparse decoration in the unique hut includes pieces of religious memorabilia and the 400-year-old book from which she prays. Each morning, Agafia gets up before sunrise and comes to read prayers before she begins the day's chores. Agafia says she would hate to move to a city. Although not an easy lifestyle, she would rather stay in the mountains as she's well-equipped for her life here. In fact, not even a visit from the Russian space agency in 2019 to inform her about an impending space launch which could cause debris to fall in her vicinity could make her budge from her isolated home.

Agafia’s hut, Siberia, Russia

Without trucks, cars or any other form of modern transport, Agafia walks or skis wherever she needs to go. She straps her feet into a pair of clever homemade skis so that she can traverse the rugged landscape to fetch wood, food and water.

Katskhi Pillar, Imereti, Georgia

Nestled in the western Georgian region of Imereti, the Katskhi Pillar takes extreme living to new heights. Towering 130 feet, the stone column is home to a church, built in the 6th- to 8th-centuries, a burial chamber and a cottage. An iconic religious landmark in the area, the precarious spot has also housed one devout monk for over 20 years.

Katskhi Pillar, Imereti, Georgia

Captured by Maboroshi Productions for documentary film Upon this Rock, Father Maxime Qavtaradze was the column's sole resident, and the last monk to live on the column. Previously uninhabited since the 1400s, Maxime revived the religious tradition of the stylite – a spiritual person who lives on a remote pillar, enduring the elements to show their devotion to God. The ladder back down to ground level takes 20 minutes to traverse, so supplies were winched up via a pulley system.

Katskhi Pillar, Imereti, Georgia

While the pillar is remote, it is not completely isolated. At the foot of the column lies a monastery where priests and troubled young men seek solace. Maxime would travel down once or twice a week to offer guidance, having served time in prison in his youth before finding God, according to an interview given to photographer Amos Chapple in 2013.

Katskhi Pillar, Imereti, Georgia

Each day, monks living in the complex below would make the vertical climb up the pillar to the church to say prayers. Accommodation was kept modest and pared-back as a sign of devotion – Maxime, along with priests and monastery guests, is pictured here breaking bread in a simple dining space with bare plaster walls and a shelf of clay jugs on display.

Katskhi Pillar, Imereti, Georgia

For the first two years after he moved to his elevated home, Maxime slept inside a fridge to protect himself from the harsh conditions. Then, following the construction of a cottage, he had a humble space to call home. Maxime also rebuilt the column's derelict church, restoring it to its former glory with bright religious tableaus and iconography during his time here. Talk about a head for heights!

Self-reliance cabin, Ontario, Canada

Hidden in the snowy Canadian wilderness lies the woodland cabin of outdoorsman and self-reliance coach, Shawn James. Shawn lives here with his dog, although his wife and daughters who are not as keen on the outdoor life do spend some time with him in his wilderness home. Shawn maintains a secluded existence, foraging for wild food and relying on his well-honed survival skills. Shawn shares his way of life through his YouTube channel and website, My Self Reliance.

Self-reliance cabin, Ontario, Canada

Inside, the log cabin is homely and warm. It's kept toasty amid the snow with a wood-burning stove which can also be used for cooking. Shawn built his dwelling by hand in 2017 without using any modern power tools. Impressive!

Self-reliance cabin, Ontario, Canada

Shawn harvests maple sap from the surrounding trees using metal 'spiles'. He has acquired a complex knowledge of the exact time and temperatures for the best harvest and says the sweet liquid can be drunk straight from the tree. He boils the sap down over an open fire to make his own maple syrup, which he then stores in jars.

Self-reliance cabin, Ontario, Canada

A steadfast table and chairs offer a cosy and comfortable dining space for Shawn and his family when they visit. Most days, Shawn forages and cooks food from the surrounding wilderness but for a sweet treat, he enjoys making plenty of pancakes with lashings of his homemade maple syrup.

Self-reliance cabin, Ontario, Canada

Living out in the woods may seem idyllic, but the realities of everyday life are no walk in the park. Chopping wood, building fires and searching for food are all part of a daily routine, no matter the weather. Shawn has his furry pal, Cali, to keep him company in his snowy outdoor endeavours and she features regularly in his video updates.

Off-grid shipping container home, Coromandel, New Zealand

If, like us, you love shipping container homes, then this amazing property is sure to inspire you. Positioned in the depths of the Mahakirau Forest Estate on the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand's North Island, the unique residence is just one of 25 located within 11,000 acres of this spectacular private reserve.

Off-grid shipping container home, Coromandel, New Zealand

Rosie sold her house in Auckland and was looking for some land, when she stumbled upon a listing on Trade Me, New Zealand's largest auction and classified ads website. She immediately hopped in the car to travel to the 23-acre plot and as soon as she stepped out from behind the wheel, she knew she'd found the location of her dreams. After snapping up the site, Rosie set about designing her new off-grid home. 

Off-grid shipping container home, Coromandel, New Zealand

Formed from four 20-foot shipping containers, the home offers just 646 square feet of interior space, but every inch has been put to good use. There's an open-plan lounge, kitchen and dining space, as well as a large bedroom and a chic bathroom. There's also a separate container that acts as a plant room for battery storage, and a mudroom – essential when you live in the middle of a protected forest.

Off-grid shipping container home, Coromandel, New Zealand

Entirely self-sufficient and free from energy bills, the property boasts 12 solar panels, rainwater collection and a worm composting septic system. The inside has been finished with simple, natural materials, allowing the home to seamlessly blend in with its stunning setting. What's more, the home's floor-to-ceiling glass windows frame the forest's awe-inspiring scenery from every living space.

Off-grid shipping container home, Coromandel, New Zealand

In a house tour with Bryce Langston of Living Big in a Tiny House, Rosie explained that she chose shipping containers for their unique industrial look, plus the fact they are highly durable. She also liked the idea of being able to extend the home later down the line, should she decide to – something that shipping containers can easily allow for. Feeling inspired? So are we!

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